About the Course

The PADI Advanced Public Safety Diver (APSD) course expands upon the foundational skills of the Public Safety Diver program, preparing divers for complex, high-risk operational scenarios encountered by law enforcement, fire/rescue, and municipal dive teams.

Led by veteran PADI Public Safety Diving Instructors, this comprehensive training challenges divers with demanding underwater environments including zero-visibility blackwater searches, contaminated water risk assessment, vehicle submersions, heavy evidence preservation, and deep surface-supplied communication protocols.

Key Areas of Training

• Advanced Scene Management: Multi-agency coordination, incident command system (ICS) integration, hazard assessment, and operational safety perimeter control.
• Blackwater & Zero-Visibility Operations: Precision grid and snag-line searches, sonar target verification, and rapid diver entanglement emergency procedures.
• Underwater Rigging & Vehicle Recovery: Commercial lift bag deployment, vehicle tie-offs, chain rigging, and evidence chain of custody preservation.
• Contaminated Water Awareness: Environmental hazard identification, biohazard and petrochemical risk mitigation, and diver decontamination (decon) protocols.
• Redundant Safety Protocols: Primary diver, backup safety diver, 90% diver readiness, and tender-to-diver tether line communications.

Prerequisites & Requirements

• PADI Public Safety Diver certification (or qualifying credential from a recognized agency).
• Minimum age: 18 years old.
• PADI Rescue Diver or equivalent with current CPR/First Aid training (EFR/BLS).
• Dry Suit Diver and Full-Face Mask Diver certifications (or proven operational experience).

How to Enroll or Schedule Team Training

Ascuba Diving provides tailored training for individual rescue personnel as well as department-wide contracts. Call our Azle dive center directly at (817) 406-4080 or submit an inquiry to discuss custom dates, equipment outfitting, and department billing.